Most men will wear a flower on the lapel of their jacket only a handful of times in their life. They will have it forced upon them for a formal event such as a high school or college prom, where it will be pinned to the lapel for a photo and then ignored, or for a wedding where it will be pinned on by a member of the bride's party for the length of the ceremony. It is a shame as the boutonniere should be utilized more often as a fashion accessory for an otherwise fairly bland men's formal outfit. The boutonniere is a stylish gesture full of meaning—it is the symbol of fragile life, of beauty in nature, or of love undefined, always worn above the heart. It has been and continues to be a statement of elegance and flair.
A boutonniere is traditionally worn on the left lapel of a tuxedo, suit, or sports jacket. In the past and in today's higher-end suits, the flower is worn in a special buttonhole on the lapel. The stem of the flower extends inside of the buttonhole and is held in place by a small loop of thread on the inside of the lapel. Today's mass manufacturers, however, typically do not actually cut the hole in the lapel or else have a hole that has been stitched shut. To have a hole sufficiently reinforced to support the weight of the boutonniere would add additional expense to the suit for an item so seldom worn. In order to actually wear a boutonniere, most men are forced to pin the flower to the lapel with long straight pins. Once considered unsightly, this solution has become acceptable due to the lack of alternatives and the florists' ability to make the stem of the flower less visible. The use of the single straight pin coupled with the weight of the flower and the flimsy fabric of most lapels, however, often results in drooping and crooked flowers, not to mention the danger of the wearer (or his dancing partner) being stabbed with the pin. Additionally, if the suit or tuxedo is a rental, the wearer is held responsible if the straight pin holding the flower tears or damages the fabric of the suit. Tears in the lapel as a result of the pin/flower are a leading cause of damage to rental suits and tuxedos, more so than spills, and result in additional costs to the renter and to the rental shop owner.
Thus, a need exists for a device for securing a floral arrangement to a tuxedo, suit, sports jacket, or other article of clothing that overcomes the deficiencies noted above.